


the measure of the little while that i've been gone away

by fiveainley_ohmy



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Also Buffy is the top in this relationship lbr, Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Alternate Universe - Hades and Persephone Mythology Fusion, F/M, Falling In Love, Hades!Angel, How is this not already a thing yet, Persephone!Buffy, They are so crazy for each other, trapped in hell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-07
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-09-13 12:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16892307
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveainley_ohmy/pseuds/fiveainley_ohmy
Summary: “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”The man grinned for real this time. “Exactly.”Buffy paused. Then her eyes widened. “You’re Hades.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Geritashipper123](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geritashipper123/gifts).



> To my beautiful Ali, my own personal springtime goddess. Merry Christmas, sweetness. <3

Whatever was ripping up her flowers had _better fucking stop_.

Buffy sighed, staring at the limp stems in her hands, the petals falling from the heads of the flowers pathetically to the ground. She got to her feet and dusted off her knees, looking at the meadow around her. Despite those small setbacks, the summer wildflowers were coming in beautifully. Not bad, considering it was her first year growing the flowers of the Earth solo (okay, with a little help from Apollo). Mom would hopefully be impressed with her work.

Her flaxen hair tied up in a messy ponytail and a few small grass stains on the knees of her overalls, Buffy prepared to take off, to find some other field to populate, when suddenly a glimmer of gold a few yards away caught her eye. Curious, Buffy trod through the knee-high grass to investigate.

 _I didn’t grow that_ , the springtime goddess pondered to herself, staring at the bell-shaped flower sprouting proudly from the ground. It gleamed gold in the sun, and Buffy was amazed by it. “Where did you come from?” she asked aloud.

The flower, as all flowers did for her, perked up and leaned toward her.

Buffy reached out a curious hand and brushed its petals.

As soon as her finger touched the satin bloom, the ground beneath her feet opened, and Buffy fell far, far, down, into a black abyss.

* * *

When she awoke, she was in a dark chamber, on a cold stone floor, with only dim lantern light to aid her vision. She sat up slowly and realized there were bars in front of her. She was in a cage.

“Hello?” she called out meekly.

“Well you’re certainly not who I expected.”

Buffy’s head jerked over her shoulder.

A dark-haired man in a black sweater and dark jeans was staring at her from the other side of the bars. Buffy jumped to her feet. “Help me. Let me out of here.”

“I’m working on it. But you see, this is Tartasian steel. Designed to entrap titans. A little godlet like you won’t be getting out anytime soon.”

“You know who I am?” Buffy asked nervously.

“Not exactly. Haven’t been invited to many family gatherings lately.” The man smiled grimly. “But I can guess from your scent. You smell like springtime air. You must be Joyce’s girl--the flower child.”

“My name is Buffy,” the goddess bristled. “And who the hell are you supposed to be?”

The man grinned for real this time. “Exactly.”

Buffy paused. Then her eyes widened. “You’re Hades.”

“Just call me Angel. Hades is a little formal, considering how much time we’ll be spending together.”

Buffy held back a shiver at that. “Listen, um, Angel, I _need_ to get back to the surface. It’s kind of the first year my mom let me be out there by myself in the world. I have a job to do. I’m supposed to be finishing up the last of the summer flowers before autumn comes. My mom’s gonna flip out when she finds out I’m missing.”

“I’m sure she will,” said Angel, frowning with genuine remorse. “I’m trying to get you out of here as fast as I can. This trap wasn’t set up for you.”

Buffy stared at the bars of her cage. “This was a trap? If it wasn’t for me, then who?”

Angel scowled. “My brother.”

“Zeus?”

“We don’t speak his name down here.”

Buffy snorted. “Well, that’s mature. Why were you trying to trap Zeus?”

Angel scowled at her more.

“What? I’m already in a cage! What more can you do to me? Are you going to answer my question or not?”

Angel’s eyebrows wrinkled, and he let out a soft laugh. “You’ve got spunk, godlet, I’ll give you that. Most of the others won’t even look me in the eye...and to answer your question, it’s complicated. My brother and I have been fighting for eons. I think I came out of Cronos’s belly annoyed with him. But we’ve always bickered. Petty sibling rivalry stuff. But several winter solstices ago, he and I really got into it. So I decided to set up a trap--the egotist can’t resist a narcissus flower, ironically enough. It was supposed to be him who fell down here into this cage. I figured I’d let him sit a few decades, then let him out.” Angel looked at Buffy. “I didn’t plan on you.”

“Well, here I am,” Buffy sighed. She stepped away from the bars, jamming her hands into her overalls pockets. “Literally stuck in hell. I think this must be the worst first year on the job any god has ever had.”

“Poseidon got some water up her nose her first year,” Angel added meekly.

Buffy sighed, flopping to her floor. “My mom’s never gonna let me out of her sight again, you know that right? I had to beg her for almost a century to let me go out on my own.”

“I’m sorry,” the god of the Dead replied. “I truly am. Is there anything I can do?”

“Yeah,” said Buffy, bringing her knees up to her chin and resting her head on them. “Get me out of here.”

“...as you wish.”

* * *

Several hours later, Angel came back. Buffy looked up and saw that he wasn’t alone.

“Oh my...my lords, my lady,” said Buffy, bowing her head awkwardly. She still didn’t really know how to address other gods.

“None of that now, my dear,” said Athena in a warm English accent. He was a tall, middle-aged man with glasses and clad in tweed. He adjusted his spectacles as he squinted at the cage. “Dear me. This is certainly a well-devised trap for the lord of thunder, Angel.”

Hephaestus, a man with shaggy dark hair and a much younger appearance than Athena, with an eyepatch strapped across his face, grunted in agreement, knocking on the metal of the cage. “Steel from the pits of Tartarus, eh? Boy, I’d like to get my hands on some of that. I’m sure my wife would love a new heavy duty pair of handcuffs.”

Hecate, a young woman with red hair, looked at Hephaestus, perturbed. “What would Anya need with handcuffs?” she said.

Hephaestus laughed nervously. “Ahh...no reason.”

“Well?” said Angel, and Buffy thought she could hear a note of anxiety in his voice. “Do you have any ideas how to get her out?”

“I say, this cage you’ve built...it would take a great force to open it, I imagine,” Athena said. “But then, I’m not the metallurgist here. Xander?”

Hephaestus looked up. “Yeah, my typical welding equipment’s not gonna cut it. Literally. These bars are not coming apart any time soon. Willow, maybe if we enhance some of my tools with magic?”

“Well, uh...my specialty is, uh...necromancy,” Hecate uttered quickly. “But I’m sure there’s something we could do. Giles, do you have any books on magic?”

“Obviously. I have books on everything. Luckily I managed to save a few rare texts from that dreadful incident in Alexandria...”

“How long am I gonna be in here?” Buffy finally interjected.

The three gods paused and looked at each other. “We don’t know,” Hephaestus admitted.

“But I’m sure there’s a way,” Athena added.

Hecate smiled warmly at Buffy, putting her hand through the bars to touch her shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry, Persephone. We won’t give up.”

Buffy nodded. Then she looked up. “Can you tell my mom I’m alright? And that I love her? And...I miss her? I-I don’t know where she is, she could be anywhere in the world—summer to autumn time is busy for her, but...if you could get the message to her...”

“Of course,” said Hecate. “My friend Andrew—that’s Hermes to you—he’ll be able to find her, wherever she is. I’ll pass the message along to him.”

“Come on, then,” sighed Athena, adjusting his glasses again. “Lots of studying to do.”

The three of them left, leaving Buffy alone again with the lord of the dead.

There was a tense silence between them. Angel coughed awkwardly. “Can I...get you anything? A pillow? A book, maybe?”

Buffy swallowed, suddenly realizing how long it’d been since she ate or drank anything. Not that she _needed_ to—she was a goddess, for crying out loud. But still... “Could I maybe have something to eat?” she asked.

“Uhh...the thing is, with Underworld food, if you eat or drink anything from here, you’ll really be stuck. All the food and drink is cursed. Sorry.”

God. This really was Hell.

“I have some leftover ambrosia though, from the last time I visited the surface world,” Angel said, trying to sound upbeat—which must pretty be hard when you’re the miserable, broody, loner king of the dead. “You’re more than welcome to it.”

Buffy nodded slowly, appreciating that he was at least trying to make up for trapping her here. Maybe Hades wasn’t as bad as everyone made him out to be. “Thanks,” she said quietly.

Angel ended up bringing her a blanket, some pillows, and a lantern as well. “I figured I should make it more comfortable for you.”

“Thank you,” Buffy said, reaching to take the items through the bars of the cage. Suddenly, little bursts of green appeared on the metal; vines wrapped themselves around the bars, and tiny flowers bloomed when Buffy and Angel’s fingers touched.

“Whoa,” said Angel, taking a step back. “That’s quite a power you’ve got there.”

“Yeah, uh...” Buffy blushed. “Flowers just kind of pop up around me. My mom says when I was born, the patch of ground underneath me just burst with them.” She watched as the flowers quickly wilted and fell to the hard stone floor. “Aww. Why’d they do that?”

“Nothing from the surface world lives for long around here,” Angel said morosely.

Buffy smiled a tiny bit. “That sounds like a challenge.”


	2. Chapter 2

The flowers did keep dying over the course of the next few weeks, as Buffy stayed trapped in the cage. But their life span became longer and longer, lasting full minutes, and then hours, until finally, one day, they took root.

“Wow,” said Angel, staring at the greenery curling around the bars at the base of the cage, like ivy. “You really did it.”

Buffy snorted. “Don’t sound so surprised.”

Angel offered a tiny smile. “You know, I don’t think anyone’s surprised me in over a millennium.”

Buffy looked at her knees happily. “Did you bring the game?”

“Of course,” said Angel, sitting on the ground across from her on the other side of the cage. He began to set up the checkerboard. “Red or black?” He asked the same question everyday.

And everyday, the same answer: “Red.”

A bright scarlet bloom burst open. Buffy grinned.

* * *

Finally, one day, a skittish looking, young god with blonde hair came to see Buffy. “H-hi, I mean, hey, Persephone,” he said. “I’m Hermes, but you can call me Andrew.”

Buffy sprang to her feet. “Did my mom send you?”

“Yes—she’s really worried about you.”

“Is she okay?” Buffy asked, shoulders slumping.

“She’s alright. She’s almost done with autumn, and the harvest is coming in fairly well, though the mortals have smaller crops this year. Guess Demeter’s sadness about you rubbed off on them.”

Buffy’s heart sank.

“Don’t blame yourself, Buffy,” said Angel, stepping forward from where he’d been lingering in the shadows. “It’s my fault, not yours.”

Buffy nodded miserably.

“Demeter’s going to try to visit you once winter comes,” Andrew said. “And she said she loves you.”

Buffy hiccuped. “Thanks, Andrew.”

“I think the Lady of Springtime wants to be left alone now, Hermes,” said Angel, sensing her oncoming tears. He led the messenger god from the room, casting a guilty look over his shoulder. As Buffy’s shoulders shook, the flowers and vines began to wither away.

* * *

Some of the other gods tried to lift her spirits. Buffy’s good friend Pan, who called himself Oz, sent a bag of trail mix made from berries and nuts from the forest. Xander sent along a windup music box that played Vivaldi’s _Four Seasons_ when opened. Giles sent her a book on botany. Xander’s wife, Anya, more formally known as Aphrodite, sent along lingerie with flowery lace. Buffy didn’t know exactly what she would need with that down here, but the gesture was appreciated.

Willow was a regular visitor of Buffy’s, since the Underworld was part of her domain and all. She did simple tricks to entertain her, but mostly passed along the gossip from the court of the gods.

“So Anya and Faith—sorry, she’s Ares—got into this huge argument in the middle of the council meeting. Well, Anya’s pheromones got so worked up that Faith tackled her to the floor and started making out with her. And Anya went right along with it. Cordelia was appalled—well, she would be right? She is the goddess of family; sanctity of marriage and all. She yelled at Xander to do something, but Xander just shrugged and said, ‘weirdly enough? I don’t mind.’”

“Sounds like quite the meeting,” said Buffy, idly magicking ivy up the bars of her cage.

“Boy, was it. Then Artemis grabbed my hand and said, ‘shouldn’t we do something?’” Willow blushed. “That’s when my brain shorted out.”

“Why don’t you just tell Tara you like her?” Buffy asked, grinning.

“Because she’s an eternal maiden, Buffy,” the goddess of magic sighed despondently. “She’s totally off the market.”

“She just swore off boys. Maybe she’s on the market for certain goddesses.” Buffy waggled her eyebrows.

“Maybe,” said Willow, smiling shyly. “Anyway, what about you?”

“I live in a cage in hell. Not much of a story there.”

“Oh come on. I’ve seen the way Angel looks at you.”

Now it was Buffy’s turn to blush. “I don’t know about that,” she laughed nervously.

“Well you like him, don’t you? It’s all Anya and Cordelia can talk about.”

“What would they know,” Buffy scoffed.

“Again: goddess of love, goddess of marriage.”

“Well...” Buffy frowned at her lap. “I don’t know. He is...sweet. And he’s definitely gorgeous. But he’s...you know.”

“The king of the dead?”

“I was gonna say ‘broody and aloof’, but yeah.” Buffy sighed. The vines curled tightly around the bars of her cage. “It’s not exactly the life I dreamed of: a house with a white picket fence, two point five kids, a dog.”

“Angel’s got a dog.”

“With three heads.”

“Buffy, what’s your heart telling you?” Willow inquired.

“My heart’s telling me...to get out of this cage and find my mom. _Then_ I’ll worry about boys.”

* * *

Apollo too sent a gift: a bouquet of sunflowers, with a note attached: _Dear Buffy, thought you’d like to see the fruits of your labor. They grew seven feet tall. You should be proud. This is the last of the flowers. Winter is coming. Your mom says she’ll be there soon. Love, Riley._ ”

Angel scoffed. “‘Winter is coming’? He totally stole that from _Game Of Thrones_. And sunflowers? Really? How cliche can you get?”

Buffy scowled at him. “Well, I think they’re nice. They certainly brighten up this gloomy place.”

“Well, sorry all of us can’t drive around on a chariot of fire through the sky.”

“Are you...jealous of Apollo?”

Angel laughed derisively. “Jealous? Me? Of that Ken Doll? No way.” He began to stride for the door.

“We’re just friends, you know,” said Buffy hurriedly, just before Angel was about to walk out. “Me and Riley. I-I don’t feel that way about him.”

Angel’s shoulders slumped slightly. “Maybe you should. Maybe if you were with him, you wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Hey, I’ll decide what’s good for me, okay?”

“Like poking at enchanted flowers?”

“Well if _you_ and your brother weren’t giant babies-!” Buffy clenched the bars of her cage in her fists. “God, you make me so angry sometimes, I could just-”

Suddenly she was caught by the sound of wrenching metal. She and Angel both looked up to see that Buffy’s vines, now thicker than rope, had curled around the bars so tightly that the metal mesh work was actually _warping_ and coming apart.

“Buffy, look out!” Angel cried as a chunk from near the top came apart from the rest of the frame and clattered down onto Buffy’s shoulder.

“Oh my gods,” Angel swore softly, fighting his way through the collapsing metal and vines. He took gentle hold of Buffy and gasped at the sight of golden ichor oozing from a wound in her shoulder where the metal had cut her. “You’re hurt.”

“ _Crap_ , that stings,” Buffy hissed. “But on the plus side—I’m free now.”

“Your power broke through the metal,” said Angel, amazed. “Remind me never to call you the gentle lady of spring again.”

“Oh, you call me that, eh?” Buffy smiled.

It was hard to tell in the dim light, but she thought the lord of the Underworld blushed. “Come with me. We need to patch up that shoulder.”

Angel led her out of the cage room, and Buffy realized she’d never seen any parts of his dominion in the almost six months she’d been here. She followed him up some stairs, through a series of catacombs. Buffy was startled when a skeleton _walked_ past them and bowed.

“That’s Brennan, one of my servants,” Angel explained. “You’ve been in the cellar of my palace this whole time.”

Buffy wordlessly let herself be led along through the palace, which only became more and more grand as they moved away from the cellar. They passed through the throne room and Buffy’s jaw dropped at the sight of his jewel-encrusted chair. “Holy crap.”

“Uh, yeah,” Angel said sheepishly. “All the gems weren’t my idea. But you know, I’m underground, where all the big deposits of precious minerals are, _and_ I’m the lord of wealth in addition to being in charge of the dead. Believe me, I prefer a good Barcalounger any day.”

“Oh,” said Buffy politely.

Up several more flights of stars, until Angel stopped at a room behind a heavy oaken door in a high tower. “Where are we?” Buffy asked.

“My room,” said Angel. Then he opened the door.

It was about what Buffy should’ve expected. A four post king-sized bed, covered with a black—was that _velvet_?—spread, with tons of bookshelves lining the walls. An armoire of black mahogany stood across from the grand bed. Something about being in the god of the dead’s room made Buffy’s insides twitch nervously...and her skin tingle.

“Sit down,” Angel said, gesturing to the bed. “I’ll be right back.” He exited through another a door, presumably the bathroom.

Buffy gingerly sat down on the foot of the bed, trying to ignore the throbbing of her shoulder. She looked around idly and spotted the book Angel must have been most recently reading: _La Nauseé_ by Jean-Paul Sartre. Figures.

Angel came back in with some medical supplies. “Here,” he said, pulling out a tube of ointment. “This’ll help you heal faster.” He sat beside her, then pulled down the shoulder of Buffy’s blouse. Buffy suppressed a shudder. She hadn’t been this close to anyone in ages.

Angel tenderly cleaned away the ichor with a cloth, dotted some of the ointment on his finger, and lightly rubbed it over her wound. The skin immediately began healing itself like magic.

“Whoa,” Buffy laughed nervously, trying to cut the tension. “The Red Cross should definitely get its hands on some of this.”

Angel smiled. Now that they were in a room with more light, Buffy could properly appreciate the god’s handsome features.

She didn’t know if it was that smile, or the gentle way he touched her, or if she was just tired of pretending nothing was there, but she leaned forward and softly kissed his lips.

When she opened her eyes, Angel was blushing bright red. “What was that for?” he asked, as if bowled over.

Buffy smiled shyly. “Just...because now I can.”

“I thought I make you angry,” Angel lightly teased, stroking her cheek.

“You do. You piss me off so...so much. And then you do something amazing and I can’t remember why I was mad in the first place.”

She kissed him again.

Angel kissed her back this time, tentatively at first, as if he didn’t quite know what to do. But soon he was moving in rhythm with her, threading his fingers through her long hair and hugging her close. Buffy found herself straddling his lap to get closer to him. She wasn’t sure if she was just touch-starved or starving for him specifically, but right now, he was just too far away.

His strong hands landed on her hips as her curious hands skated under the hem of his dark sweater and touched the warm, firm skin of his stomach. “Buffy,” Angel whispered blissfully.

“ _Buffy?!_ ” cried another voice, just from outside. Buffy managed to jump off of Angel’s lap just a woman with blonde curls, dressed in earth tones, burst through the door. “Oh my god, my baby!” Demeter gasped, embracing her daughter tightly.

“Mom!” Buffy sobbed, squeezing her back, all the months of missing her and worrying catching up with her all at once. “Oh my gods, I’m so sorry, Mom, I-”

“Baby, this is not your fault,” said Joyce, stroking her face. She turned to shoot daggers with her eyes at Angel. “It’s his.”

“Mom, no-”

“How could you be so reckless?” Joyce snapped at Angel. “Because of you, I didn’t see my baby girl for half a year! She was locked up in some cage, suffering! And all the autumn and winter flowers that were never planted. You’ve completely upset the balance of nature!”

“Mom, it was an accident-”

“Lady Demeter is right, Persephone,” said Angel, and Buffy flinched inwardly at the use of her formal name. “Now that you’re free, you have to return to the surface. I can’t keep you from the world any longer.”

Buffy was crushed. She looked at Joyce. “Can we have a minute?”

Joyce looked confused, but she nodded and went outside.

Buffy turned to Angel. “Why are you doing this?” she squeaked. “I thought you...that we...”

“I do, Buffy, I...I love you,” Angel whispered, squeezing her hand. “And that’s why I’m letting you go. You don’t belong down here, in the dark, among the dead. You deserve a normal life.”

“I don’t give a _damn_ about a normal life!” Buffy spat angrily.

“Buffy...” Angel pulled her close and kissed her deeply. “Look, even if it weren’t about that...winter isn’t going to last forever. The world needs you to bring springtime.”

Buffy closed her eyes. She knew he was right. “So I’ll just never see you again?” she said miserably.

Angel shrugged. “Never know...maybe someday Spike and I will be able to stand being in the same room and I can come back to council meetings.”

“Those only happen four times a year!”

“Then I guess we’ll have to make the most of ‘em,” Angel said, trying to smile for her.

“Angel...I love you,” Buffy said tearfully. Angel hugged her tightly. “It’s killing me to leave you,” she whispered against his chest.

Angel stroked her hair. “It’s killing me to see you go,” he replied.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hell changed you.”

It’d been almost a year since Buffy had fallen into Angel’s trap. And six months since they’d said goodbye to each other.

Winter passed, and spring passed, and summer was almost over. Buffy had resumed her duties, and all the earth’s flowers had come in wonderfully.

Everyone, thinking that Buffy must’ve experienced unspeakable horrors, tiptoed around her since her return from the Underworld, handling her with kid gloves. Except Pan. Buffy was glad for his glibness.

Oz sighed, putting his pipes in his lap. The birds and squirrels that had gathered to listen reluctantly crawled and flitted away. “Maybe you could go back, just for a visit.”

Buffy shook her head, sadly stroking the bloom of a red amaranth. “I can’t. I don’t know how to get back into the Underworld. All the gates are hidden.”

Oz hesitated. “Well...I probably shouldn’t tell you this...”

Buffy looked up. “What?”

“I know of an entrance.”

Buffy perked up. “Where?”

“There are actually two in the West that I know of. One of them is near the western coast.”

“Where’s the other?”

“Cleveland.”

Buffy slumped. “It’s no use. My mom is always keeping an eye on me. Or when she can’t, she has Riley doing it.”

“But they can’t watch you all the time. Not at night,” Oz pointed out.

“I’m pretty much powerless at night too. Flowers thrive in the daytime.” Buffy shook her head. “I need to face facts. I’m never gonna see him again.”

* * *

That night, however, a tall, slender, pale colored woman came to Buffy as she slept. “Persephone. Come with me.”

Buffy blinked awake groggily. “Who are you?”

“I’m Artemis, but you can call me Tara.” Tara helped Buffy to her feet. “Your friends and I hatched a plan to help you see Angel again.”

Buffy was alert immediately. “You want to help me? Why?”

“I kind of owe you one, since you convinced Willow to ask me out.” Tara blushed happily. “Come get in my chariot. I’ll fly you to the entrance to Hades in the west.”

“My mom will only come after me when she wakes up and finds out I’m gone,” Buffy said.

“But isn’t at least a little time with Angel better than none at all?”

Buffy thought for a second then nodded. “Okay.” She started to follow Tara, but then thought of something. “Hold on a sec. I need to get something first.”

Buffy ducked into her bathroom, stripped completely, and pulled on the lingerie that had been a gift from Aphrodite. Boy, was Angel in for a treat.

After pulling her clothes back on, Buffy reemerged, saying, “Let’s go!” She and Tara hopped into the moon goddess’s silver chariot, and they took off across the sky.

When they touched down, Tara handed Buffy a large wrought iron key. “To unlock the gate—Xander made it. He and Anya said to tell you good luck.”

“Thank you, Tara. And thank everyone for me.” Buffy hugged her new friend tightly, then dashed away.

* * *

Buffy fought her way through miles of Hell, dodging the Cerberus, skeleton guards, and spirits of the dead, till she reached Angel’s palace. She burst through the doors of the throne room, breathing hard.

Angel stood up in shock from his chair. “Buffy?” he whispered in amazement.

Buffy launched herself at him, tackling him to the floor. A bed of flowers burst from the black stone beneath them as Buffy kissed him fervently. Angel cupped her face as if she were the most precious thing in the world to him and gladly kissed her back. “What are you doing here?” he asked her, his normally gloomy face beaming as he smiled up at her.

“You never called,” Buffy teased.

Angel chuckled shyly. “Sorry...cell service is terrible down here.”

Buffy planted another kiss on his lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too...gods how I love you.” Angel’s arms around her tightened, and he kissed her deeply. His hands slipped under the back of her shirt, sliding up her warm skin, and Buffy moaned.

Suddenly they heard a ruckus outside and quickly stood up, and Buffy wondered if she’d ever be able to get further than first base.

The doors burst open yet again as Joyce, Riley, and a man with a long black jacket and peroxide blonde hair came in.

Angel snarled at the sight of him. “You’re not welcome here, brother.”

“Says the man who laid a trap for me just a year ago,” Zeus scoffed. He smirked at Buffy. “Sorry about that, Goldilocks.”

Buffy stuck her tongue out at him.

“Buffy, what are you doing here?! Why would you ever come back to this awful place?” Joyce demanded.

“Because I love Angel, Mom,” said Buffy, lacing her fingers with his. “I want to be with him.”

“Buffy, this is ridiculous. You’re too young for him.”

“I’m 160 years old! I’m not a child anymore.”

“Your mother’s right, Buffy,” said Riley. “You don’t belong with him.”

“Shut up, Riley! This has nothing to do with you.”

“What are you even thinking will happen between you two? You’ll suffer down here, away from the sunshine and fresh air and soil.”

“I don’t need to be up there all the time,” Buffy argued. “Why can’t I grow my flowers and spend time with him?”

“Because you just can’t, Buffy,” snapped Joyce. “I absolutely forbid it.”

Buffy caught sight of a bowl of fruit in the corner. “Well we’ll just see about that.” She ran for the bowl and plucked out a ripe, gleaming pomegranate.

“Buffy, no!” Angel cried, rushing to stop her as the goddess sank her teeth into its skin. He batted the fruit out of her hand as Buffy swallowed. Angel gasped.

“What just happened?” Riley asked.

“What happened, G. I. Blow,” Zeus answered cockily, “was that Persephone here just ate some forbidden fruit, which means she’s trapped in the Underworld. Forever.”

“No,” Joyce gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. “My baby...”

“You _idiot_ ,” Angel whispered to Buffy, his dark eyes big with worry. He squeezed her hands. “What were you thinking?”

Buffy smiled faintly. “I was thinking that no one was going to keep me away from you. Least of all my _mother_.”

Angel sighed, torn between frustration and joy. He looked at Buffy’s hands in his, then gasped again. “Wait! She might not be stuck here forever.”

“What?” said Joyce, stepping forward.

Angel showed Buffy’s wrist to her. Six shining tally marks had appeared on her skin. “She must’ve only swallowed six of the pomegranate seeds. That means she only has to stay six months out of the year.

“Oh gods.” Joyce began to weep.

“It’s alright, Joyce,” said Riley, patting her shoulder, while glaring at Angel all the while.

“Alright then,” said Zeus, rubbing his hands together. “The little one will stay with Angel in autumn and winter, and help her mum in the spring and summer. Sound like a fair trade?”

 _“Fair?”_ Joyce snapped. “My little girl will be trapped in Hell for half of the year, how is that _fair?!”_

“Mom, I’m not your little girl anymore,” said Buffy, stepping forward. “I’ll always love you, you know that...but I love Angel too. There’s room in my life for both of you. I’m happy down here. I need you to understand that.”

Joyce sniffled. “I know, I just...oh gods, Buffy.” She hugged her daughter tightly.

A still weeping Joyce, a surly Riley, and an amused Zeus made to leave. Then, Zeus paused just as he reached the door. He turned and said to Buffy, “gimme a call if you and Captain Doldrums don’t work out, Goldilocks.”

“Get outta here, Spike,” Angel said through gritted teeth.

Zeus snickered and left.

Buffy immediately leapt into Angel’s arms, her legs wrapped around Angel’s waist. “Now...where were we?”

“Don’t you want to take it slow? We have six months,” Angel asked, grinning.

”Exactly! We don’t have much time.” Buffy kissed him. “So what are we waiting for?”

Angel laughed as he began to carry her up the stairs to his room. “Marry me,” he entreated.

”Of course.”


End file.
